New Apple Watch straps spotted at official launch event in Milan

The Apple Watch PR tour continues to traverse the globe, with the likes of Jony Ive in tow, and we got an interesting peek at some possible new straps when it stopped in Milan on Friday. Luminaries of the fashion world were out in force for Milan Design Week, and among the straps they were showing off were a few colors that we haven’t seen before.

The snap above, courtesy of Umberta Gnutti Beretta, shows dark blue, red, yellow, and pale pink straps that we haven’t seen before — the Sport bands (which is what these seem to be) on the Apple site are limited to white, black, light blue, pink and green. England rugby player Will Carling has also tweeted out a picture of what seems to be a red sport strap for his own watch.

Are these rich and famous celebrities getting exclusive access to band colors that the rest of us will never see? Or is Apple planning to roll out more colors and styles in the months ahead? We’ll have to wait and see, because the Cupertino company hasn’t made any official comment on the new bits of kit.

As for the Salone del Mobile design fair in Milan, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller was in attendance alongside Jony Ive, as was the company’s recently hired designer Marc Newson. The executives were happy to pose for photos and guide attendees through the process of setting up their new devices.

Italy isn’t actually on the list of launch countries for the Apple Watch, but the significance of Milan Design Week in the fashion calendar is the reason why Apple wanted a big presence here — it’s a reminder that its new wearable is as much about fashion as it is about tech. Presumably the rest of Italy will eventually be able to get their hands and wrists on the smartwatch at a later date.